Cleaning carbs

TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

Think I've done this topic before but will it harm the carbs if I use washing up liquid to clean them (got no vinegar/baking soda and heard they can be harmful to the carbs as the vinegar is mild acid) ?

Finally got them off after wrestling with the wind, rain and hail fun day so far.

Might be a stupid question Mr. Green

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..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

Carb cleaner is cheap enough and is stocked by various places so easy to find.

TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

tatters · Exxon Valdez Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Karma :

TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

1/ Pics: its blowing a ruddy gale out, & for some reason I'm having a very bad 'leg' day, they just dont want to work today. So not inclined to go outside and start waving acamera around!
https://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w269/teflons-torque/Little%20Dreams/
See what pics you can find in there to help; out to be a few.
2/ Please, PLEASE tell me that you took the air-boxes off before you took the carbs off, like I showed you!
3/ As we did them in my kitchen. first time round. Warm soapy water and a toothbrush. NOTHING abrasive.

4/ Pull the float pin to release the float and let the float needle drop out. Blow through the petrol pipe inlet to clear the port, then clean the seat the needle goes in with the toothbrush; then a cotton bud. Clean the needle with the tooth-brush then some tissue.

5/ remove the idle jet; thats the small brass one at the front, with a large flat-blade screwdriver. Make sure the blade is big enough to fill the slot BOTH sides of the jet, so you dont crack the brass from the edge of the slot! Clean jet with toothbrush; blow through jet to clear. The emulsion tube is integral, & the side of teh (emulsion tube) is perforated. Clean carefully with toothbrush. Use a single bristle to poke through each of the holes. DO NOT use wire or anything harder, it can damage the jet.

6/ use I think its an 8mm spanner to hold the main-jet emulstion tube, and flat blade screwdriver to remove the main jet. Clean with toothbrush & blow through.

7/ Use 8mm spanner to unscrew main-jet emulsion tube. Clean as the idle jet.

8/ Remove the base mixture screw; again large flat blade screwdriver; MAKE SURE IT IS SQUARE IN SLOT. its a deep slot, and the brass is easily cracked. There is a spring on the screw, and the needle on the end VERY FUCKING FINE, and BRASS handle with care it can be bent or cracked REALLY REALLY easily. Clean the needle very carefuly with soapy water & cotton bud. Blow through the hole the needle screws into. Air should come out of the front and rear ports in the entry and exit of the carb.

9/ clean the carburettor body. There are two air-ways in the carb inlet, by the choke butterfly. Blow these through. There is another on the carb exit; blow that through too.

10/ Re-Assemble.

Idle air screw 'set' by screwing all the way in then back out 1 1/4 turns.

Make sure that the air-boxes are off & out of the way before trying to put the carbs back on.

Make sure that the carb mounting rubbers are not ripped, either from your endevours of that bloke that claimed to have stripped the carbs before.

Carbs ought to pop in VERY easily, one from either side, if you have the air-box out the way, and done the job properly.

DO NOT clamp them up, once fitted, leave them loose in the rubbers.

Fit the link between choke spindles. make sure that the flex link is tight on the shaft; use the end of a cable tie snipping to tighten it if loose.

with your head where the air-boxes have been removed.....

work the choke and make sure that both choke butterflies work in unison, and that the right hand butterfly is fully open when left hand is; likewise when closed. You may have to tweek the link to get them to work in unison.

If THIS isn't done, then you will NEVER get the carbs working properly; Right hand choke will often be partly 'on' when the choke is 'off' or fluttering about if there is movement on the spindle, fucking up the carburation.

Next, refit the air-box rubbers to the carbs; DO NOT CLAMP them at this stage. Then fit, the air-boxes, LOOSELY.

There ought to be a large loop of cable tie around the air-box ends of the carbs.

If this has been clipped or lost; then make a new one; if you still have the one I fitted, use something pointy to loose off one of the clips to open it up a bit.

Now check the choke lever on left hand carb. It is VERY close to the frame, and can 'foul' at one end of the cable travel or other. Check the movement.

NOW, with the air-box in place; the rubbers in possition, but everything 'loose', start on the right hand side; bolt down the right hand air-box. THEN fiddle the air-box rubber into situe. THEN tweek carb, in the rubbers to the verticle, keeping an eye on that choke linkage. THEN tighten up the air-box rubber clamp; before putting intial tweek on the carb mount rubber clamp. DO NOT tighten the fuck out of it; JUST to the point it grips carb.

THEN: go to the right hand side.

Check that choke arm again. with the loop of cable tie around the carb mouths, use it to draw the right hand carb 'in' to make sure that choke arm clears the frame, and pinch the carb to seat to the air-box rubber.

Tighten down the left air-box; and check the pinch cable-tie to keep it all tight.

THEN nip the clamps as right hand air-box; until they 'grip' the carbs.

Throttle slides can now be replaced, and the engine run up.

On these bikes; you HAVE to remove those air-boxes to be able to re-fit the carbs, and make sure that the choke is sync'd and avoid fucking up the carb mounting rubber.
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Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

What result are you looking to achieve?

If the carbs are externall dirty and you can to clean them up, then using detergent (after completely stripping them), hot water and a toothbrush is a fairly good way of cleaning them.

However, to clean gunk out of the insides you need a solvent and some kind of compressed gas (solvent in a can like carb cleaner doing both jobs).

If using solvents is totally out of the question, then ultrasonic cleaning is your friend. You might get equally good results from putting them in the dishwasher.

Soapy water is no good for cleaning out the narrow passages and jet. That said, I rarely come across such problems in bikes that are used - only tends to happen in bikes that have been sat for long enough for the fuel to turn to jelly.

Either way, it's going to cost a bit. If solvents are that much of a problem, which not try carb cleaner with decent goggles, gloves, and face mask. Do it outside and don't bring the bits back into the garage or house until everything has evaporated.

TheSmiler · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Apr 2011 Karma :

Wow mike thanks for the reply, let me cut it up a bit.